Clasp for jewelry



April 8, 1930. J.'KREISLER 1,753,207

OLA-SP FOR JEWELRY Filed Aug. 8, 1928 INVENTOR JACQUES KREISLIER ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 8, 1930 UNITED STATES JACQUES EREISLER, OF NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK CLASP FOR JEWELRY Application filed August 8, 1928. Serial No; 298,336.

bers, which snap together to fasten, and.

of which one member is constructed to allow adjustment thereof along the wrist band.

A further object of the invention is to provide for the member of the clasp which is adjustable over the band, means for frictionally engaging the sides of the band over a substantial length, so as to avoid making an impression anywhere along the band as would result from engagement at decided points.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an eflicient means of separably fastening one member of the clasp to the other. r

The clasp of this application is particularly applicable for use in connection with bracelets of the flexible metal mesh type which are of course constructed of fine wire links and as a consequence are very readily injured by any form of clasp which would bite into the mesh to hold its position thereon.

' I have accomplished these objects by means of an improved clasp constructed as illusdrawings and fully described in the following specification and set forth in the appended claims. V

In thedrawings, Figure 1 is a perspectlve view of a bracelet showing my improved clasp in closed position; Figure 2 is a plan view of the clasp on a very much enlarged scale; Figure 3 is a side elevational View of the same; Figure 4 is a bottom plan yiew of the clasp in position on the mesh; Flgure 5 1s a top plan of the slidable portion of the clasp and an inside view of snap portion as the parts appear in open position; Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on lines 6-6 of Figure 2; Figure 7 is. a longitudinal sectratively exemplified in the accompanying tio'nalview taken on lines 7-7 of Figure 2; and Figure 8 is a perspective view of a modified construction for the slide and snap members of the clasp.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 10 denotes the slide member of the clasp and 11 the upper or snap member thereof, both members being mounted on a flexible bracelet 12, preferably metal link mesh, which is illustrated in'connection with a watch 18 intended to be worn on the wrist. The slide member 10 comprises a bottom plate 14 provided with spaced parallel transverse slots 15 which extend to points just short ofthe opposite sidesandbetween which the metal plate 14 beyond theends of the slots 15 are each bent upright to the plane of the plate14 itself'to form a guideway 18 and at the 'eX- treme end is again bent at right angles to overlie the plate 14 along a very-slightly arched line, so that when engaged about the side of the mesh band 12 only the very tip 19 will press down upon the margin of the band. This particular construction allows the slide member 10 to firmly embrace the margins of the mesh just inside the edges, so that there is no tendency on the part of the tip portions 19 to break down the fine wire end links since they are free and protected by the overhanging walls of the guideways 18. To adjust the slide member the latter is merely made to slide along the" band 12, the three points of contact with the band, namely the mid portion of the strip 16 which is curved inwardly to yieldably engage the mid portion of the band and the two tips 19,

which provide suficient engagement with the band to hold the slide anywhere along the band until theb-racelet is adjusted on the wrist of the wearer and ready to be clasped.

The other member 11 of the clasp is permanently fixed to one end of the bracelet 12, as clearly illustrated in section in Figure 7. The member 11 comprises a top plate 20 which may be pierced and suitably decorated on its outside or upper face and which is of a size to project transversely of the band 12 from beyond one longitudinal side to the other. The shorter ends of theplate 20 are bent at right angles to the plane thereof and in a direction away from the said upper face so that these side walls 21 are merely depending portions intended to snap over the upstanding side walls of the guideways 18. In order to hold the top plate in position on the slide plate 10 the free longitudinal ends of the walls 21 are turned inwardly to form lips 22 to engage over the angular portions of the plate 10 between the bottom 14; and upstanding walls forming the guideways 18, as illus trated clearly in Figure 6, The side walls 21 are higher at the rear portion of the plate to accommodate a loosely rotating pin 28 to which one end of the wrist band is permanently attached, preferably by means of solder. The pin 23 is disposed as close as possible to the under face of the top plate 20 so as to provide sufiic-ient space between the two members 10 and 11 to accommodate the mid portion of the band 12, as clearly shown in Figure 7 The front end of the member 11 at the mid port-ion of the top plate 20 is provided with a slight projection or finger lip 24 which in closed position of theclasp is closely adj acent the surface of the bracelet and which is intended to be engaged by the finger nailto lift the member 11 and disengage it from the slide member 10.

According to this invent-ion, I have devised a'novel means of locating the member 11 over member 10 before snapping the two together; This means includes the pin 23 at one end which is arranged with respect to the rear ends of the guideways 18, so as to abut the latter, while the opposite or front ends of the side walls 21 are provided with inturned projections 25 which abut the front ends of the guideways 18. By placing the upper snap member 11 over the slide member 10 and thereafter locating the pin 23 and projec tions 25 against the opposite ends, respectively, of the guideways 18, it is then only necessary to press the two members 10 and 11 together until the lips 22 engage over the angles of the slide plate 10 and the clasp is securely fastened.

In the modification illustrated in Figure 8, the slide member 10 is identical with that shown in the preferred form with the addition of a bridge piece 26 projecting transversely of the slide between the mid portions of the tips 19 The bridge 10 is provided at spaced points with openings 27 adapted to receive and grip correspondingly disposed ball projections 28 dependingfrom the under face of the top plate 20 of the snap member 11. To separably engage the two members 10? and 11*, they are located with respect to each other as previously described and pressed together, whereby the ball projections 28 enter the openings 27 and are firmly held.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: i

A a p f r l ts, Comprising parable slide and snap members, said slide member having a flat bottom portion with inwardly bent portions at the sides to frictionally embrace opposite marginal edges of the bracelet and further yieldable means to frictionally engage the mid transverse portion of the bracelet betweenthe first means.

2. A clasp for bracelets, comprising separable members, one thereof being slidably mounted on the bracelet and the other being permanently connected to the end of the bracelet, the slidably mounted member having a fiat bottom plate over which the bracelet is adjustably supported and integral upstanding side walls, slight-1y spaced at their mid portions from the sides of the bracelet to loosely embrace the same and turned yieldably downwardly at their free ends to frictionally engage the marginal portions of the bracelet just short of the sides thereof, the flat bottom plate being further provided with spaced transverse slots to provide three strips, the intermediate strip being bowed upwardly at its mid portion tofrictionally engage the mid portion of bracelet at the side opposite that marginally engaged by thesaid ends of the side walls.

3. A clasp for bracelets, comprising separable members, one thereof being slidably mounted on, the bracelet and the other mem- 3 and a pin mounted between the side walls adjacent the rearward ends thereof to be permanently attached to the end of the bracelet.

4. A clasp for bracelets, comprising separable members, one thereof being slidably mounted on the bracelet and comprising a bottom plate and upstanding side walls, each wall being spaced outwardly to loosely embrace the sides of the bracelet and turned downwardly along its upper edge to marginally engage the bracelet along lines spaced from the sides, the other member comprising a top plate and depending side walls adapted to embrace the side walls of'first member and having the forward ends of the side walls of thesecond member bent at right angles to abut the forward ends of the side walls of the first member, and a pin loosely mounted at A its ends between the side walls of the second member and permanently attached to the end of the bracelet, said pin being spaced from the bent forward ends of the side walls of the second member a distance equal to length of the side walls of the first member.

5. A clasp for bracelets comprising separable members, one thereof having a transversely slotted bottom wall and upstanding side walls, the latter walls being spaced on their inner sides from the sides of the bracelet and provided with inwardly turned lips adapted to frictionally engage the marginal portions of the bracelet just short of the sides thereof, the strip of material of the bottom wall between the slots being bowed upwardly to frictionally engage the mid portion of the overlying bracelet, the other member of the clasp comprising a top plate having depending side walls turned inwardly slightly to engage over the angular portions between thev bottom and side walls, the forward ends of the side walls of the second member being turned inwardly to form tabs to abut the forward ends of the side walls of the first member, and a pin mounted between the side walls of the second member and permanently attached to the end of the bracelet, said pin being spaced to abut the rearward ends of side walls of the first member when the clasp is closed.

6. A clasp for a bracelet, comprising separable members each thereof having a pair of upstanding side walls, one pair of walls being disposed to yieldably embrace the other pair of walls, the pair of side walls on the outside being wider at their rearward ends, the narrower forward ends being turned towards each other to abut the forward ends of the inside pair of side walls, and means mounted between the wider ends of the outside side walls to permanently carry one end of the bracelet and to abut the rearward ends of the inside walls. 7

7. A clasp for flexible bracelets comprising separable members, one thereof having side walls spaced on their inner sides from the sides of the bracelets to loosely embrace the same, the ends of the said sides being bent over to frictionally engage the bracelet along marginal lines short of the sides thereof, a bridge piece projecting between the 7 side Walls and over the portion of the bracelet between the side walls, said bridge piece having openings spaced transversely thereof, the

bracelet, a bridge piece projecting transversely of the member and connected at its ends to the said side walls, said bridge piece having spaced openings centrally thereof, the other member of the clasp having a top plate, depending projections to releasably engage in the openings of the bridge piece,'and side walls to overlie the side walls of the first member, side walls of the second member being turned towards each other at their forward ends to abut the ends of the other side walls, and means mounted between the side walls of the second member to carry the end of the bracelet and to abutthe rearward ends of thefirst mentioned side walls;

9. A clasp for flexible bracelets, comprising a slide member and a snap member to engage over the slide member, the slide member comprising a bottom plate having its longitudinal sides upturned to frictionally engage about the opposite side edges of the bracelet and the transverse ends of the bottom plate being curved upwardly at their mid portions :0 support the overlying portion of the brace- In testimony whereof he has aflixed his signature.

JACQUES KREISLER. 

